Species-of-the-MinuteGray wolf (Canis lupus)

Wolf or Coyote?

• 50 to 100+ lbs• 5-6 ft. long• 3 ft at shoulder

• 20 to 45+ lbs• 2.5-4 ft. long• 1.5 ft at shoulder

Coyotes

Wolves in Michigan

• Historically, wolves found throughout state

• 1838 Michigan bounty passed– 1849 MN bounty

– 1865 WI bounty

• 1910 wolves gone from LP

• 1960 bounty repealed

• 1965 wolves protected in MI

Wolves in Michigan

• By 1970’s few lone wolves probably left in UP

• 1974 wolf listed as federally endangered species

• 1989 tracks of a pair of wolves found

• 1991 1st documented pups in 35 years

WI = 450+MI = 400+

Wolf Reclassification• April 1, 2003 federally

threatened • MI and WI follow with

state reclassification.

• Remains unlawful to pursue, harass, or otherwise harm gray wolves in Michigan, the exception being in self-defense or defense of another person.

Wolf Reclassification

• March 2007 – Wolves delisted in Great Lakes Region

• How should wolves be managed?

Species-of-the-Minute

American woodcock (Scolopax minor)

Habitat

• Woods & thickets with moist soil, small openings near woody cover

• aspen, alder, willow cover types (early successional = seedling/sapling stage; <3 in dbh)

Food

• Diet = 50-90% earthworms

• Diurnal foraging in spring/summer

• Nocturnal foraging in winter

• Long bill used as probe (foot stomping)

Reproduction

Courtship behavior = males on breeding fields Mar-Apr -- polygynous

Clutch size = ~4 eggs

I.P. = 21 days; near full grown in 28 days

Behavior

- Migratory – winters in SE U.S.

- Nonvocal calls = wing position

Species-of-the-Minute

Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)

Brink of Extinction

By early 1900’s, culminative effects of:

1) wetland drainage (ag. expansion)

2) deforestation

3) overhunting

Habitat

• Wooded swamps & river bottomlands

• Natural tree cavities for nesting (cypress, sycamore, silver maple, black ash)

• Home range changes with flooding events

Food

* In water <18”, feed on:

- seeds of trees (e.g., acorns)

- also field grains

* Young = aquatic insects

Reproduction

Pairing in late Oct into spring (Mar-July nest)

Clutch size = 6-10 eggs

Behavior

- Dump nests (up to 30+ eggs in 1 nest) = “egg dumping” behavior = intraspecific brood parasitism

- may decrease hatch rates to 10%

Species-of-the-Minute

mourning dove (Zenaida macroura)

Habitat

Woodlots & open fields

Adaptable – e.g., residential, ag., urban

Food

Weed seeds (foxtail, ragweed), waste grains, water source

Reproduction

April-Sept

Clutch size = 2 eggs

2 to 5 clutches / year

Annual Mortality Rate

~60%

Population Status (fall)

N.A. pop >400 million

MI pop = 4-5 million

Federal Hunting Regs

Season after 1 Sept

States (39) choose:

70-day season (12)

90-day season (15)

Species-of-the-Minute

Long-tailed weasel (Mustela frenata)

Habitat

• Wide range of habitats, except deserts & dense forest

• Dens = logs (CWD = coarse woody debris), rock piles, old buildings

• Small mammal habitats

Food

• Diet = 75% small mammal

Food

• Diet = 75% small mammal

• Niche partitioning = sexes differ in diet & subtle differences in habitat use

Reproduction

Late spring-summer = breeding season

Delayed implantation (cell division starts in March)

Gestation Period = 280 days! (litter size = 6)

Behavior

- nomadic behavior of males during breeding season

- Solitary or gregarious?

Female

Male

METHODSRadio-Telemetry Study

Trapping:

• 200 km2 study area, includes 1-km buffer

• Edgar live trap baited with domestic mice

• Traps spaced at 200-400 m intervals in corridor, grassland, and forest habitats

RESULTSRadio-Telemetry Study

• Mean 95% error ellipse = 0.09 ha (SE = 0.02 ha)

• 17 long-tailed weasels captured (9M,8F)

• 11 weasels (7M,4F) > 30 independent locations

RESULTSRadio-Telemetry Study

• Long-tailed weasels exhibited differential patterns of habitat selection in this agricultural landscape, and these patterns were dependent on spatial scale.

• Weasels selected forest patches, fencerows and drainage ditches, whereas agricultural fields were avoided.

CONCLUSIONS

• Long-tailed weasels appear to be sensitive to agriculturally induced fragmentation of habitat. Importance of landscape configuration

• Response of predators to spatial elements may influence predation pressure on small mammals and ground-nesting birds.

Species-of-the-Minute

Kirtland’s warbler (Dendroica kirtlandii)

Habitat

NE Michigan jack pine forests

- Nesting habitat = 2-6 m (~5-20 ft) tall young jack pines (<15 yrs) = very dense stands

- Large forest stands = 100+ ha (200+ A)

2001 = 1,085 singing males = highest count since 1951

Food

Insectivores & herbivores

Reproduction

~May, late May = 5 eggs

i.p. = 13-16 days

Behavior

- Migrate to Bahamas

- Return to MI early to

mid May (males 1st)

- Influence of brown-headed cowbirds (nest parasitism)

Species-of-the-Minute

grizzly bear (Ursus arctos)

Habitat

Mississippi R to Pacific (plains, forests, mountains, wetlands, beaches)…

Today, (US, lower 48)

Montana

Wyoming

Idaho

Washington

1985 – Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee

Food

Omnivores – up to 90% plant matter

* Seasonality

Reproduction

~mid May to early July

litter size = up to 2

*delayed implantation

Behavior

Hibernation (Oct-May)

Species-of-the-Minute

Blanding’s Turtle (Emydoidea blandingii)

Habitat

• Productive & clean shallow water (soft substrates) = ponds, marshes, swamps, bogs, wet prairies, slow rivers

• Spring & summer = terrestrial habitat for mating & nesting = sunny & well-drained soils

Species of Special Concern in Michigan

Food

• Diet = crayfish & aquatic insects

• Primarily, forage underwater

Reproduction

Mainly in Spring (shallow & deep water) – 14-20 yrs

Clutch size = 6 - 21 eggs

I.P. = 50-75 days (Aug/Sep)

Behavior

- Males = overland travel during mating

- Females leave wetlands to nest